


Tales to be Told

by superqueerdanvers



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist is a Mechanism, M/M, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives), The Mechanisms Were The Archivist's College Band
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:41:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25366267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superqueerdanvers/pseuds/superqueerdanvers
Summary: Jon lay on the couch with his head in Martin’s lap one evening. His eyes drifted shut as Martin played with his hair. Then Martin’s fingers stilled, and he spoke. “What did you do before this?”Martin finds out about Jon's college band.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 22
Kudos: 354





	Tales to be Told

Jon lay on the couch with his head in Martin’s lap one evening. His eyes drifted shut as Martin played with his hair. Then Martin’s fingers stilled, and he spoke. “What did you do before this?”

Jon opened his eyes and looked up at him. “Hm?”

“Before the Archives. I mean, I know you were a researcher before you became the Archivist, but what about before that?”

“University. I started working at the Magnus Institute right after getting my Master’s in English. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious, I guess. We’ve been through so much together, but we haven’t talked much about our lives before we met.” He paused. “Hang on, your degree is in English?”

“Yes?” Jon sat up.

“Not library studies, or parapsychology, or, or anything actually _useful_ or _relevant_ for the Head Archivist of an institute that researches the paranormal?”

“I… guess not?”

“So I went to all the trouble of lying on my CV to look like I was actually qualified to be an archival assistant, and you got to be the – the fucking Head Archivist with no qualifications?!”

Jon bit back a laugh. “Let’s be honest, if Elias actually cared about qualifications, Sasha would’ve been Head Archivist.”

“Still!” Martin stood. “I’m going to make some tea. Do you want any?”

“Yes, please.”

* * *

Martin soon returned with the tea. He handed Jon a mug, then sat down beside him. “What were you like in uni?”

“Oh, you know. Spent all my time in the library, took myself too seriously.” Except when he was with the Mechanisms – not that he was going to tell Martin about that. He would keep that embarrassing snippet of his uni days to himself, thank you very much.

“Really? Somehow you always struck me as a theatre kid.”

Jon shrugged. “No, not really. I mean, I certainly read plenty of Shakespeare and listened to plenty of musicals, but I didn’t really talk about it, and I wasn’t involved in any live theatre. Really, I wasn’t all that different from when we met.”

Martin elbowed him gently. “Come on, you can’t have been that bad. I mean, Georgie liked you.”

Jon said nothing. The truth was, Georgie had thought he was a stuck-up prick with a stick up his ass until she’d gone to a Mechanisms concert, and she had not been shy about telling him so. It was only after the concert that they had really started talking.

“I bet you were really cool,” Martin said with a mischievous grin. “Going to parties every night, probably dyeing your hair bright colors.”

“I never dyed my hair,” Jon said. That, at least, was true.

“Okay, fine. Makeup, then. You wore lots and lots of eyeliner!”

Jon made a noncommittal noise and felt his face get hot. He drank his tea, hoping the mug would hide his face.

“And you were in a band.”

Jon choked on his tea, and Martin looked at him. “Jon?”

“I’m fine!” His voice came out far too high-pitched. He cleared his throat. “I’m fine.”

Martin’s grin spread. “Jon, are you... blushing?”

“No! I’m – I’m not blushing, its – it’s just the tea is – uh – it’s hot!” He was definitely blushing.

He set his mug down and hid his face in his hands as Martin asked, “Wait, _were_ you in a band?”

Jon groaned and nodded without moving his hands.

“Seriously?” Jon couldn’t see Martin’s face, but he could hear the glee in his voice. “What was it like? What music did you play? Who were you in the band with?”

Jon sighed and uncovered his face. There was no getting out now; Martin would just keep asking questions until he told everything. Or worse, he’d find the Mechanisms on YouTube next time he went into town and had internet. He just hoped he wouldn’t ask him to sing.

Even if he wanted to sing something, what could he sing? So many of the Mechs’ songs involved multiple singers, and even the solos had instrumental accompaniment. He couldn’t imagine singing “One Eyed Jacks” or “Drunk Space Pirate” alone and a capella – it just wouldn’t be the same.

“It was just some friends and I. We came up with these characters – immortal space pirates – and formed a band, the Mechanisms.”

Martin held up a hand. “Hang on, _immortal space pirates_?”

As much as he’d wanted to avoid the subject, the corners of Jon’s mouth tugged upwards in a smile. “Yes. I was Jonny d’Ville, the –“ He hesitated. “Captain. He had a mechanical heart, and he liked killing people.”

“You said you weren’t that different from when we met!”

“I wasn’t! Really, when I wasn’t with the Mechs, I was just as pretentious and studious as when I started in the Archives. But singing and performing with them… it helped me come out my shell.” He shrugged. “Some people have Dungeons and Dragons, I had the Mechanisms.”

Martin took another sip of tea. “So, was Georgie in the Mechanisms?”

Jon shook his head. “No, we just had a class together, and sometimes she came to our concerts.” He paused and grinned, knowing what he said next would shock Martin. “Basira was, though.”

Martin spluttered. “Wh – _Basira? What?_ ”

Jon just nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Martin demanded. “How did I not know you two knew each other?!”

Jon shrugged. “It never came up. And I was trying to seem professional. You know, like I was actually qualified to be Head Archivist.”

He sipped his tea and watched Martin try to process this information. Finally, Martin asked, “Is there anyone _else_ I know who was in your weird space pirate college band?”

“Well… Nikola.”

“Nikola _Orsinov_?” He looked, if possible, even more shocked.

Jon nodded. “I had no idea who – _what_ – she was back then, of course. Although maybe I should have. She was always strange, even when she wasn’t actively trying to end the world. She was actually a pretty good friend, though, believe it or not.”

“Must have been awkward when she kidnapped you,” Martin said dryly.

Jon laughed and shook his head. “You have _no_ idea.”

They sat quietly for a few minutes, drinking their tea. Jon rested his free hand on Martin’s knee, absentmindedly tracing patterns on his flannel pajama pants. Eventually, Martin broke the silence. “Can you sing something?”

Jon froze. After a moment, he said, “Of course I can sing, I haven’t lost my voice –“

“Jon.” Martin cut him off. “Stop trying to distract me with grammar pedantry.” His voice softened. “I’m just curious. I’ve never heard you sing before.”

He sighed and set down his mug. “It really wouldn’t be the same without the rest of the band…”

“I don’t mind.” Martin took his hand and laced their fingers together. Jon flushed as Martin pulled his hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. “Please?”

Jon met Martin’s eyes and melted. He couldn’t say no to that face. And there was a song he could sing on his own that wouldn’t seem horribly out of place in this quiet cabin. “All right then.” With a smile, he began to sing:

_“Like whiskey laced with gasoline, we're deadly when we're drunk_

_So shut your face and settle down, you sneering little punks_

_For space is vast, you are small, it’s black and bitter cold_

_The book is lying open, there are tales to be told.”_

**Author's Note:**

> The song Jon sings is "Tales to be Told," from the beginning of Death to the Mechanisms.


End file.
